Life, in iPhone Photos

Welcome to our tradition here on Fresh Mommy Blog... on Wednesdays, when I try to be wordless, I'm just going to dump the previous week's photos from my phone. A little piece of where we've been and what we've been up to. And the resulting collage? Well, I think it speaks so much more than I could. Welcome to Hump Day Dump, we'd love to have you join, whether it's one photo or many, phone pics or camera pics, wordless or not! So just grab a photo and link up with us! You can grab my button from the sidebar, but it's not required. If you'd like to connect with some other great Wordless Wednesday participants, just click here or on one the thumbnails below. Don't forget to link up below!

      

All of my photos were taken on an iPhone with the instagr.am app. If you want to find me, I'm on instagram as TabithaBlue.

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We're getting down to the end of #PROJECTdecor and what a fun project it's been! We've been sharing photos of our favorite home projects, DIY ideas and organization tips on Instagram and hash tagging with #PROJECTdecor... and ONE of the lucky participants will be randomly selected to win a $600 Oreck Vacuum System!!!! So if you haven't snapped a pic of your favorite space or a recent home project, you're running out of time to share it and get in on the giveaway! Take a look here to see what others have been sharing.

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Project Decor: Vinyl Lettered Sign

Hi friends! I want to share a little project that I worked on in collaboration with Belvedere Designs. This wall quote sign was so easy to put together and with the words all ready to stick on, that part was simple as well!

Since we're renting and aren't sure how long we'll be in this home, I didn't want to attach the lettering to the wall, because although it comes off easy, I didn't want to lose the quote in a move. So I made a sign that we can take with us!

After getting an eight foot board cut in three, we just attached the boards to each other with two cross pieces.


Then it was just making sure it was clean and dry, lining up the letters where I wanted them to be and attaching the sticky side to the surface of the sign.



This sign was made from the In This Home quote and I just love it.

Have you ever used vinyl lettering before? It's so quick and easy to use! And don't worry, if you haven't before, one of you will get the chance to for FREE!

Make sure you enter to win this #PROJECTdecor giveaway sponsored by Belvedere Designs and you could win the $50 giveaway to spend in their online store!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck!

xo

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The Pumpkin Patch Redemption

It happened.

We pulled into a sprawling pumpkin lot during this week long cold front of a breezy 80 degrees while the afternoon's golden sunlight reflected brilliantly off of bright orange pumpkins of all shapes and sizes. The day itself seemed a complete contrast to our last try, and this time? It just worked.



In life there is always a rhythm, we breathe in and out, inhaling and exhaling in one fluid motion. We sleep and we wake. We watch the tide roll in moments before the currents secede and roll back out. There is an ebb and flow. Not every relationship is marked by glittered and sparkly friendship bracelets of spun unicorn mane, in fact most are messy and some even hurt.

A friend posted a quote on Twitter this morning, “There’s a crack in everything. That’s how the light gets in.” -Leonard Cohen

Just as we can sit along the waters edge in a torrent of crashing waves, we know that sometime soon, the tide will pull those white caps away, receiving them back into the deep and at the same time giving a renewed love for calm inhales and exhales and fresh air.

There will be days when plans don't go as expected, when ideas change and you make memories out of the forced smiles between the cries. Those times will come, they always do. But sometimes without them, the regular days... the days we find ourselves alone in a pumpkin "patch" with happy kids, a cool breeze and perfectly shaped orange gourds, would pass by without the gleam of shimmering golden light being noticed.



Oh it's there. The light is always there. Sometimes it's about letting the light in, even through the fracture of misguided expectations... and sometimes it's about shining your own light. Right now? We are doing both.


Blowing kisses. 

Also, we're all about the pumpkins right now and made the most amazing, and simple pumpkin cake tonight to share over good conversation with friends. I knew I needed something and didn't have much in my cupboard to work with, save the spice cake mix I found when I cleaned out my pantry recently.

A box of spice cake mix and a can of pureed pumpkin, mix those 2 ingredients together and bake according to box intructions. Top with a glaze made of 2 cups powdered sugar, 1tbsp butter and 2 tbsp milk. 

A total win.



Shine on, friends. And if you can do it with a pumpkin or two? Even better. Like, sparkly Autumn unicorn kind of better.

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Thank you for stopping by! This is Wordless Wednesday, though I definitely didn't make it through wordlessly today. So just grab a photo and link up with us! You can grab my button from the sidebar, but it's not required. If you'd like to connect with some other great Wordless Wednesday participants, just click here or on one the thumbnails below. Don't forget to link up below!

  


xo

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Pumpkin Plans

A brief window of parted clouds allowed a portion of the day free from rain. And so we carried on with our plans which included a pumpkin "patch" (though just that term in Florida makes me laugh, for it's usually a few rows of pumpkins in a parking lot or on a few pallets next to an old man selling peanuts and corn), train rides and ponies. The sun needled like pin pricks through a grey sky heavy with moisture, but a welcoming gesture for our Fall day nonetheless.

Our excitement for the day began to unravel as we stepped out in the thick air. It was hot. And not in the this-is-kind-of-bearable hot, but more like I-can't-breathe kind of hot. Still, we pressed on. We carried cranky kids, roasted marshmallows over the fire and laughed at the craziness of it all instead of what we felt like doing... running back to air conditioning and declaring that it is not even close to Fall yet.

Despite the soaring temps, we made the best of it. We fastened ourselves to the many good things that so outweighed the rest. Or at least, that was our goal. And we chose that route until we made our way to the "patch." I looked at Chris and cried, "I can't take pictures here. Now." While I snapped the lens cap back on the front of my camera, the unanimous decision was to wait. Wait for another "patch." Wait for a cold front. Wait for a moment when we weren't all drenched with perspiration and dampened spirits.

And that? I'm okay with to. We still held on to the good of that day. We tried not to dwell on the blemishes and instead focused on the beautiful story of our own day, imperfect, yes, and so us. And a very big pumpkin patch re-do is on it's way... Mama found the place.




In the meantime, a few other things we've been loving lately...

Art projects.

In air conditioning of course.


The making of the pumpkin bread.

The official turn of seasons in our home doesn't happen until this happens.


If Fall had a flavor, pumpkin is most definitely it, with notes of cinnamon and nutmeg completing the crescendo of Autumn perfection.



Time with this wee one. 


And splashing in the rain while we wait for sister to get home from school.



Hello, face-painted little girl. We missed you dearly.



So just like any moment in parenthood, or life for that matter... it's going to be unpredictable, it's not going to go according to plan, so what do you do?

“Things turn out best for people who make the best out of the way things turn out.”
~John Wooden

We make the best. We dance in the rain and smile through the sweat and tears. We make memories. We pray that our children's stories continue to grow from half-full to brimming with each portion we write.

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